ICPF-UTA-Partnership

The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation
will establish a new Corrugated Prototype Design and CAD Production Lab at The
University of Texas at Arlington through a major, in-kind gift of state-of-the
art production equipment and structural design software.

The new packaging and design lab will be located
in UT Arlington’s Fine Arts Building and will integrate new corrugated and
structural curriculum into the Visual Communication program in the Department of Art and
Art History. The program
and lab are expected to launch during the 2012-13 session with the installation
of ICPF’s online corrugated curricula, a Data Tech computer-aided design table
donated by ICPF corporate partner Vanguard Packaging, and Esko donated design
software.

ICPF has
established similar programs at top academic institutions throughout North
America. UT Arlington’s lab, CorrPro Design
+ UTA, will be the first institute of higher education in Texas to offer
corrugated curriculum and structural design instruction.

“We are delighted that when the International
Corrugated Packaging Foundation wished to develop a program in the state of
Texas, they chose to partner with the Department of Art & Art History at The
University of Texas at Arlington,” said Beth Wright, dean of the College of
Liberal Arts. “We know that this partnership will benefit students, faculty and
programs, and it will increase the reputation of UT Arlington as a leader in
creative problem-solving and professional achievement."

ICPF’s
decision to partner with the University came after extensive research and
surveys of graphic design programs at other colleges and universities, contact
with Gov. Perry’s office and discussions with corrugated packaging and display
business leaders in the region. Wright credited the visual communication and
graphic design program’s national reputation, noting that students have won
more than 150 state, regional and national awards over the past decade.

Robert
Hower, professor and chair of the Department of Art and Art History, said the
new partnership aligns closely with the Department’s growth and focus on
design.

“The
materials and digital technology will immediately provide significant packaging
experiences and design problem-solving opportunities for real world design and
production,” Hower said. “It is a great example of education and industry
teaming up to improve employment opportunities for our students.”

ICPF curricula will provide a brief history and a
comprehensive overview of corrugated manufacturing with details on production,
design, performance specifications, testing processes, and corrugated's role as
a cost-effective, high performance, renewable, recyclable and sustainable packaging
choice.

The foundation represents a $26 billion a year
industry. Corrugated packaging is durable, versatile and lightweight material and
is used for everything from custom-manufactured shipping containers to
point-of-purchase displays.

Careers in the industry are diverse, ranging from
packaging, graphic design, sales and marketing, business and accounting, to
engineering, architecture/structural design and environmental science.

Mark Sanders, chairman of
Texas-based Bates Container and an ICPF board member, said the DFW area has
long needed a university or college to introduce students to the corrugated packaging
and display industry.

“There are some 20 large
and small corrugated businesses in the metropolitan area, as well as scores
more in the four or five-state area that I’m sure will be interested in hiring the
qualified graduates this new program will produce,” Sanders said.

About International Corrugated
Packaging Foundation

Co-sponsored
by AICC and FBA, the mission of the International Corrugated Packaging
Foundation (ICPF) is to generate a stream of increasingly qualified students to
enter the corrugated packaging and display industry. ICPF is dedicated to the
continued creation and building of partnerships within the education community,
the advancement of corrugated curriculum, the expansion of student internships
within the industry and the promotion of corrugated packaging and display
career opportunities for packaging design, graphic design, marketing and sales,
business, finance and accounting, supply chain management, engineering,
environmental science and related graduates. For more information about the
International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, visit www.icpfbox.org/ or email rflaherty@icpfbox.org.

About The University of Texas at Arlington

The UT Arlington Department of Art and
Art History is
accredited through the national Association of Art & Design and is one of 12
departments within the College of Liberal Arts. The University of Texas at
Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 33,200 students
in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn
more.